See and Do

The Biosphere Reserve of La Rioja is a large area that occupies almost a quarter of the southeastern part of the region. It has a geographical, climatic and landscape homogeneity that gives it a very high environmental value. The Leza, Jubera, Cidacos and Alhama Valleys were listed as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO on 9 July 2003.

In this area of ​​La Rioja, with successive valleys and mountains, there is a great cultural, scenic, culinary and ethnographic appeal. Discover how the ancient Celts lived by visiting the ruins of Contrebia Leukade and its interpretation centre. In this area there existed even older inhabitants, the great dinosaurs, leaving their tracks everywhere which you can now visit. You will also learn a lot about these amazing animals in the Interpretation Centre in Igea and the Palaeoadventure Park of El Barranco Perdido.

The cultural tour can be completed with a multitude of activities. These include visits to mines, snow pits, interpretation centres, caves, churches and palaces which every small town hides to offer visitors a unique experience.

To regain your strength, the local produce provides excellent oils —you can visit the oil presses— and also the most precious mycological treasure, truffles and other species in high demand. The local cuisine, as befits La Rioja, is simple, tasty and plentiful.

Nature, of course, is the highlight of this area. That is why it has been declared a Biosphere Reserve. There is a complete network of trails where you can enjoy these landscapes, flora and fauna. On this page you can choose a path to your liking.

And after so much activity, what better way to relax than to go to any of the spas found in this area so rich in thermal waters, each is indicated to improve a different ailment but you can simply enjoy the high temperatures and stress reducing properties.

If dusk surprises you in the midst of all these activities, do not worry, on the contrary. This whole area of ​​La Rioja is considered a Starlight Reserve for the quality of its starry skies. You can still enjoy the stars to start again the next day.

The Ocón Valley is located between the Ebro Valley and the Sierra de la Hez; the latter having been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO because of its natural richness. The terrain consists of smooth-sloped mountains ranging in altitude from 700 to 1338 metres above sea level, providing a breathtaking view of the Ebro Valley.

The municipality of Ocón is located between Middle and Lower Rioja, halfway between Logroño and Calahorra. It holds six villages —La Villa, Pipaona, Santa Lucía, Las Ruedas, Aldealobos and Los Molinos— besides the abandoned hamlet of Oteruelo. The villages have undergone few changes in the past and remain a true rural attraction.

The Valley’s rich historical, cultural and archaeological heritage together with its natural wealth and splendid landscapes, allow visitors to enjoy marvellous views, enticing leisure and camping locations and traditional ways of life.

During the last few years, the area has worked hard at taking advantage of this historical, cultural and archaeological heritage. Practically all churches and shrines have been restored and intensive work is currently being carried out in the Visigothic archaeological site of Parpalinas. Also worth visiting is the only windmill to be found in this area of Northern Spain. It was used to produce flour and visitors can learn all about traditional milling methods. The Valley offers all of these features plus many more that we will not reveal but that you will discover when you visit us. WE AWAIT YOU.

Autumn is an ideal time to wander the hills and valleys of La Rioja. Everything is tinged with red and yellow thanks to the beech forests and vineyards. If what you like is enjoying the landscape and nature, we suggest some special places for their beauty, their surroundings or the fun they offer visitors.

To begin, you should visit the Sierra Cebollera Nature Reserve. This reserve starts from the Sierra de Cameros and has some curious landscapes, a chapel with ancient traditions, like 'the charities' and even a park of sculptures made with landscape components. The best way to start your visit to the park is to visit the Interpretation Centre, located in Villoslada de Cameros. You will learn about the natural wealth of the reserve, its flora, fauna and all the secrets it hides.

After passing through the Nature Reserve Interpretation Centre, you can choose to visit the Transhumance Interpretation Centre, which explains the importance that this cattle practice had in this area of ​​La Rioja or go to the pretty village of Ortigosa of Cameros and visit its tourist caves. Try searching for a poodle among the stalactites and stalagmites!

You can also request information at the interpretation centres or the Cameros Tourist Office to visit a unique natural area that is close by, the Puente Ra waterfall. Water is the protagonist in this environment. Make sure your camera is ready because all the pictures that serve in this area will be eligible to appear among your favourites.

Going back towards the capital, we suggest you go off the main road to visit theCamero Viejo. This is ​​the least populated area but it retains all the charm of small mountain villages. The road turns into a succession of bends, bordering the grand canyon created by the River Leza. Do not miss the climb to the village of Trevijano, hanging over the canyon, from where you will see griffon vultures flying. You can stop in the town of Soto de Cameros, where the famous Soto Marzipans everyone here has at Christmas are made.

Ask any local what the Almazuelas are. You will be surprised by the abundance of colour.

To complete your visit to Cameros, we suggest some sports tourism. The opportunities in this area are many: hiking, biking, 4x4, canyoning, caving, paragliding ... Do you dare give it a try?

Located on the northern slopes of La Sierra de Cebollera, in the high River Iregua Valley in the Camero Nuevo region, 50 kilometres from Logroño along the N-111 road, the Reserve covers 23,640 hectares and encompasses the municipalities of Villoslada de Cameros and Lumbreras, as well as the villages of San Andrés and El Horcajo, which have a total population of around 500 inhabitants.

La Sierra de Cebollera is a privileged geological enclave within the Iberian Mountain Range, containing glacial formations known as ‘hollows’ located at heights of over 2,000 metres. Beneath the high mountains the landscape is covered by large natural wild pine, beech and oak forests, of great ecological and aesthetic value. The area is crossed by a number of mountain streams with waterfalls and cascades at different points along the river-bank forest.

It is a landscape whose forests have manage to recover from centuries of intense livestock farming throughout the Cameros region, a traditional culture that has left its mark on the new landscape in the form of corrals, shepherds’ huts and hermitages.

The line of Sierra de Cebollera peaks runs between Puerto de Santa Inés (1,753 m) and Puerto de Piqueras (1,710 m), to the south of the Nature Reserve, and includes: Castillo de Vinuesa (2,083 m), Peñón de Santocenarrio (2,058 m), Cebollera (2,164 m), La Mesa (2,163 m) and Alto de Cueva Mayor (2,138 m).

In addition to pine, beech and oak forests, there are also a number of other more scarce and unique species that contribute to the biodiversity of the Sierra de Cebollera landscape: birch groves, black pine groves, holly groves and pedunculate oak groves.

The Reserve’s wildlife, which is closely linked to forest and high mountain habitats, includes the Iberian grey partridge and forest-dwelling birds of prey, in addition to roe deer, deer and wild boars. In the rivers, trout swim alongside otters, small Iberian desmans and the rare European mink.

The Nature Reserve’s Visitors’ Centre is located in Villoslada de Cameros, at the crossroads between La Virgen de Lomos de Orios Hermitage and Montenegro de Cameros. It contains a permanent exhibition on the most unique characteristics of the Nature Reserve and offers information about resources and scheduled activities.

An audio-visual display is screened in a room which seats 25 people and explains the evolution of the landscape over history, and its transformation as the result of the most important activity carried out over the centuries in the Cameros region: the migration of herds from winter to summer pastures.

The Centre also organises educational activities for schools and groups, depending on the season, as well as providing information about the network of footpaths and the regulations governing the movement of vehicles along the restricted forest tracks.

Los Cameros, a region of contrasts, is ideal for both adventure lovers and those looking for a bit of peace and quiet. Camero Nuevo, or ‘New’ Cameros, with the Sierra Cebollera Nature Reserve at its heart, is a lush orchard of oak and beech groves watered by the River Iregua.

Come and explore its many footpaths and discover its beautiful forests before resting for the night in one of its welcoming country guesthouses.

TheGR.93 enters Camero Nuevo through the town of Ortigosa, where a visit to the La Paz and La Viña Caves is an absolute must. These caves have been specially adapted to accommodate tourists and contain spectacular formations that are millions of years old.

Camero Viejo, or ‘Old’ Camero, is very different from Camero Nuevo, being arid and lonely with impressive abandoned terraces overrun with thickets.

Enjoy the silence in the impressive River Leza Gorge. Take a look at the ‘ravines’ between Soto en Cameros and Leza de Río Leza and enjoy watching the griffon vultures soar around their spectacular red-tinged walls. And where better to enjoy the sport of canyoning?

In Camero Viejo there are only a few pastures left with holm oaks and oaks, all of which are now communal land.

Visit the villages of Torre en Cameros and San Román de Cameros, taste the famous Camerano cheese and ask about the area. There is still much to discover, such as the old basket weavers’ workshops in San Román.

Along the banks of the Jubera a range of birds of prey can often be seen perched on the limestone rocks. From Jubera bridge you can engage in bridge jumping.

Viewing golden eagles and partridges, griffon vultures, falcons and owls is a popular and spectacular pastime at Las Peñas de Iregua, Leza and Jubera. Complete your adventure by climbing Peña Zapatero de Nieva de Cameros or Peña Amarilla de Leza del Río Leza. Want to go even higher? Why not try paragliding from the summit of Zenzano in the Leza gorge?

Vultures merge into the dun-coloured south-western landscape of La Rioja. Among rosemary and thyme shrubs, the footprints of long-disappeared dinosaurs run from the River Jubera to beyond the River Cidacos, among Enciso and its villages. Follow these footprints and they will lead you to a very different La Rioja, one of medicinal waters and Celtiberian, Arab and Roman remains. And as if that was not enough, the unique ecosystems of its valleys have been designated a Biosphere Reserve.

The River Cidacos runs in a narrow channel to Arnedillo, where you can bathe in its medicinal waters and view the vultures close up with modern cameras from the Buitre Lookout Point.

This entire region has a highly concentrated bird population and encompasses Peñas de Arnedillo, Peñalmonte and Peña Isasa, as well as the Alcarama Range and the River Alhama, where limestone escarpments provide shelter for owls and, especially, griffon vultures. Why not climb up to the abandoned, mysteriously beautiful town of Turruncún, and watch these magnificent birds in full flight?

Vultures also tend to accompany rock climbers on their ascents, since in Arnedillo alone there are more than 200 climbers’ routes. If you have not yet learned how to scramble up sheer walls, you can train at the public climbing facilities in Alfaro and Autol.

This landscape is bordered to the south by Sierra de Alcarama, the highest mountain range in La Rioja Baja, standing 1,500 metres above sea level. Beneath its shadow lies a crumpled carpet of small hills crossed by the River Alhama, known as ‘the hot river’ by the Moors due to its medicinal waters. This landscape offers many interesting plays of light and shadow during the sunset hours. And where better to enjoy this spectacular show than the fascinating Celtiberian city of Contrebia Leukade.

The reservoir on the River Añamaza, a beautiful enclave nestled between high mountains, is well worth a ramble, as is the nearby Fuentestrún del Cajo Gorge.

Trees? In Sierra de Yerga you will find the Villaroya oak grove, an ideal place for enjoying a walk among sturdy holm oaks and the odd gall oak. This grove is an oasis in the otherwise arid landscape of the region, as are the oak and beech groves of Sierra de la Hez. You can find others for yourself, either on foot or by bike, along the GRs or the green trails in Cebollera, Arnedillo and Cidacos.

Talk to the locals who will be happy to show you many more paths and trails. And keep your binoculars and magnifying glass handy at all times - you will need them to appreciate the perfect cubic pyrites at the open-air Navajún site, the most important of its kind in the world.

If you have chosen La Rioja to spend a weekend or if you are thinking about it, here's a suggestion to make good use of your time and discover the basics:

Friday:
If you arrive in La Rioja on Friday afternoon, visit Calle Laurel or Calle San Juan in Logroño or the Herradura in Haro. Trying the specialities of each bar, along with the House Rioja is the best way to start your visit to La Rioja and learn about the culture of wine.

Saturday:
On the Saturday you can begin by visiting the Vivanco Museum of the Culture of Wine, located in Briones. There you will learn how wine is made, barrels are manufactured, bottles are made, wines are transported, the wines of the world, the history of wine and, above all, the extensive culture that wine has created across the world, from Egyptian times to modern Picassos.

After this visit, we suggest taking a wine tasting course at the museum or elsewhere across La Rioja: The Rioja Wine Guild, The Control Board, wineries and associations offer these courses, some very complete, with certifying diplomas.

If you would like to know the process of making wine a little better, you can approach one of the hundred wineriesthat open their doors to tourists. Knowing their wines and how they make them will allow you to enjoy this Riojan product even better.

When you stop to eat, do not hesitate to try the lamb chops grilled over vine cane embers or the potatoes with chorizo; typical dishes of Riojan cuisine. that can be found in many restaurants across the region and in some wineries too. You can also discover the new Riojan cuisine, refreshed classics with surprising presentations and tasty flavours.

After the meal, we recommend another way of getting to know about the culture of wine: vineyard activities: On foot, by bike, on horseback or even kayaking in the Ebro or flying in a hot air balloon over the vineyards, you learn about the different grape varieties and the strict rules governing viticulture in the Rioja Designation of Origin.

To finish the day take a treasure with you: a bottle of Rioja specially chosen now that you know everything about this world-famous wine or a wineskin made by hand by an artisan in La Rioja.

The Monastery of Suso, the older of the two, is situated between mountains. There, the hermits in the middle ages wrote in its scriptorium the first words in the Spanish language.

The Monastery of Yuso, is bigger and wealthier. It houses the Spanish Language Classroom and a unique library.

On the road to San Millán, you will pass Berceo, the village where Gonzalo de Berceo, the first poet of the Spanish language was born.

From San Millán, we recommend a visit to Santo Domingo de la Calzada.. Make sure to visit the Cathedral, where you will find the saint's tomb and a chicken coop! Inside the church! Ask about the miracle of the cock and chicken and you will find out why. Be sure to stroll through its streets and take a break at the Parador de Turismo, ancient Pilgrims' Hospital.

You will pass by many places that are worth stopping. Take your time. Stop and enjoy the landscape, the people and the Rioja-style hospitality. If you don't have not enough time to do it all, don't worry. La Rioja is very close and we will be delighted to welcome you back.

La Rioja is an inclusive tourist destination, which works hard at providing real accessibility and creating spaces that will accommodate every individual. We invite you to enjoy our wine tourism and outstanding food, discover the land where dinosaurs lived, experience the St James’ Way and visit the birthplace of the Spanish language.

La Rioja offers a variety of accessible tourism opportunities for all types of tourists. Families, senior citizens and tourists with special needs or functional diversity find activities for every taste in La Rioja.

There is a wide range of accessible art, heritage and culture so you can discover monasteries, castles, museums and the secrets of Rioja wine. If you want to share a day with the whole family, nothing better than visiting one of our theme parks, like the Barranco Perdido paleoadventure park or Tierra Rapaz, where adults and children alike will enjoy unforgettable experiences.

Of course, you cannot come to La Rioja and fail to visit one of our many accessible wineries and participate in sensory wine tastings, where your senses take over and surprise you with unexpected surprises, letting you discover your personal abilities.

The tourism and cultural offer is varied, and so is the food offer. Visitors to this land never forget our cuisine, thanks to the wide range of accessible tapas routes and restaurants, which are not only free of physical barriers, but also provide special menus to cater to different intolerances and sensitivities.

In short, La Rioja is an enticing region, an accessible destination that hospitably welcomes everyone; a land of positive surprises where you can do sports, attend conferences and meetings, go shopping and much more.